When to Replace Your Winter Makeup

Now that warmer weather's coming, it's time not only to change your wardrobe, but your beauty regimen as well. If your makeup bag is anything like mine, it could probably benefit from a little "spring cleaning" before you invest in new summer cosmetics.

If you've been using the same mascara and liquid eyeliner all winter long, now's the time to toss them—both have a shelf life of only three months to minimize bacterial infection from eye to tube contact. You can hold onto your favorite eyeliner pencil. With regular sharpening, you can use it for up to two years. That's because during sharpening, you remove the old surface along with any bacteria that might be growing on it.

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If your liquid foundation has been around more than six months, toss it. Now's the time anyway to consider a lighter formulation or even one of the moisturizers with foundations mixed in. You can keep using face powder as long as it's less than two years old—and if it's been hanging around longer than that, don't use it anyway.

Now, onto your makeup brushes. You're supposed to clean them every two to three months, but I know it's probably been longer, so start filling the basin with soapy water right now.

If you're a natural cosmetics kind of gal (such as Carol's Daughter's products), keep in mind that 80 degrees, 90 degrees, or higher temperatures can cause them to separate or spoil. Best bet is to keep them in the fridge.

Is all this information is making your head spin? Purchase Cargo's Timestrips or Beauty Alert!'s cosmetic stickers which can help you keep track of how long products have been in your makeup bag. The FDA doesn't require cosmetic labels to have expiration dates, so you need to keep after them yourself. Want to learn more? Check out our helpful article about cosmetic expiration dates.